Charlie Christian at Minton’s

This recording features Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk and Dizzy Gillespie.

Christian was a member of Benny Goodman’s sextet and a pivotal figure in the emergence of the guitar as a solo instrument and later as the key focal point of rock bands. This video from Discover Oklahoma puts Christian in the context of the Oklahoma City neighborhood — called Deep Deuce — from which he emerged.

This isStompin’ the Savoy, also recorded at Minton’s, which is on West 118th Street in Harlem. The recording is from 1941.